A relic is something connected with a saint or blessed, including a part of their body (e.g. hair or a piece of bone), their clothing, or an object that the person used or touched.

Relics are classified as 1st Class – a part of the person’s body, for example: blood, hair, or bones; 2nd Class ‑ an article touched by the person or touched directly to part of his or her body; and 3rd Class ‑ something touched indirectly to the person, that is, to a 1st or 2nd Class relic, to the tomb, etc.

It is not the kind of relic or how big it is that is important, but rather the faith and prayer that the relic occasions. By the communion of saints, it is that person who is close to us, blessing and praying for us.

“In all, relics remind us of the holiness
of a saint and his cooperation in God’s work; at the same time,
relics inspire us to ask for the prayers of that saint and to beg
the grace of God to live the same kind a faith-filled life.”
(Saunders)

Venerating relics is included among other
“expressions of piety [that] extend the liturgical life of the
Church, but do not replace it.” (CCC #1675)

“In
his Letter to Riparius, St. Jerome (d. 420) wrote in defence of
relics: ‘We do not worship, we do not adore, for fear that we should
bow down to the creature rather than to the Creator, but we venerate
the relics of the martyrs in order the better to adore Him whose
martyrs they are.’” (Saunders, “Keeping…”)

Abuses and misconceptions of relics in the
history of the Church, such as selling relics (simony) or their
forgeries and using relics as kinds of good-luck charms led the
Church to establish guidelines defining the proper use of relics:
“Pastoral discernment is needed to sustain and support popular piety
and, if necessary, to purify and correct the religious sense which
underlies these devotions so that the faithful may advance in
knowledge of the mystery of Christ. Their exercise is subject to the
care and judgment of the bishops and to the general norms of the
Church.” (CCC #1676)

According to the tradition and norms of
the Church, first class relics must be treated with proper
reverence, sealed in a proper container and authenticated with a
certificate from the Postulator. The second and third class relics
of Blessed Teresa are also authenticated by the
Postulator.

According to the laws of the Church,
relics should never be sold. It is understood, however, that an
offering can be made out of courtesy to cover production, shipping,
and handling.

The Church distinguishes between the cult
(i.e. formal veneration) of a Blessed and that of a Saint. The act
of beatification provides the faithful the opportunity to offer
public veneration to a Blessed within set limits; a canonized Saint,
however, can receive public veneration throughout the universal
Church. The Missionaries of Charity hope that devotion expressed in
faithful observance of the norms established by the Church will also
serve to increase the prayer of the faithful imploring the
canonization of Blessed Teresa.

For the faithful within dioceses that have not
received permission to inscribe Blessed Teresa in their local
Diocesan Liturgical Calendar (i.e. to offer formal public
veneration)

Mass and Divine
Office in her honour and public prayers addressed to her are NOT
permitted.

Though Blessed
Teresa’s relic may be placed in a church or chapel, organized
public veneration of the relic is not permitted until after
canonization.

It is not
permitted to have an image (statue, painting or drawing) of a
Blessed in a church where the diocese does not have permission for
public cult. Such an image may not be present in the church even
where a relic is available for veneration.

Prayers to Blessed
Teresa may be distributed for private devotion only.

In places where
there is a profound devotion to Mother Teresa, the Bishop should
seek permission from the Congregation of Divine Worship and
Sacraments (CDWDS) for public cult, bearing in mind the desire of
the Church to distinguish between the cult of blesseds and that of
the saints.

The liturgical feast of Blessed Teresa of
Calcutta is September 5, the anniversary of her death, and is
celebrated with the rank of an optional memorial for the faithful
within dioceses that have received permission to inscribe Blessed
Teresa in their local Diocesan Liturgical Calendar.

If you would like to receive a relic of Blessed
Teresa of Calcutta, you can contact the Postulation Officeby email
atrelic@motherteresa.org(providing us with your physical mailing Address so that we can send you one)

or write
to

Postulation Office

Piazza S. Gregorio al Celio,
2

00184 Rome

ITALY

or

Postulator

524 West Calle Primera,
Suite #1005N
San Ysidro CA 92173
USA

or

The Vice-Postulatrix

c/o 54A, A. J. C. Bose
Road

Calcutta 700016

INDIA

There are numerous commercial sites on the web
selling “relics” of Blessed Teresa, some claiming these are “from
the Vatican”. Without the authentication of the Postulator, no relic
has the guarantee of authenticity and should be regarded as doubtful
and with suspicion. Moreover, selling sacred relics is absolutely
forbidden by the Church!